


you gave me your heart and i kept it

by diaphanousveil



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged Up, Bit of Fluff, F/M, Implied Proposal, Reveal, bit of angst, is this funny? i thought it was funny, pre-reveal post-relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-01-21 05:30:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12450597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diaphanousveil/pseuds/diaphanousveil
Summary: When she thinks her boyfriend is ready to propose, Ladybug finally decides it's time to reveal her identity to Chat Noir.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Because I'm a sucker for proposal reveals.

Adrien loved being a superhero, but he hated keeping secrets from people he cared about. The longer his relationship with Marinette progressed, the more guilty he felt keeping his identity from her. He’d tried to start talking to her about it, but he kept getting interrupted whenever he tried. 

Relationships were built on trust, and if he and Marinette were going to last, he’d have to be honest with her. And he really, really wanted them to last. Being with her had made him happier than he could ever remember being. She was...oh, she was amazing.

Really, when he thought about it, there was a reason his crush on Ladybug had never led to anything. Sure, they trusted each other, but without revealing themselves, what could happen between them. He really couldn’t blame Ladybug for never wanting to pursue anything serious.

They’d actually tried it once, years ago, when they were both seventeen. It had been like a dream at first, but hurried kisses and unsuccessful attempts to spend more time together had strained their relationship and made it difficult to face the akuma. They’d fought over it, and while it had hurt a lot, Adrien had respected Ladybug’s decision to end it. She wasn’t willing to reveal herself for their relationship, and she wanted more than they could have behind the mask. She wanted marriage, children, a life together. Adrien had wanted a life with Ladybug.

Now, he wanted a life with Marinette. She held his heart, however fond he might still be of Ladybug.

Speaking of Ladybug, here she was now.

“Hey, chaton,” she said, landing next to him on the rooftop.

“Hi, Ladybug. You wanted to talk to me?” he asked.

She smiled and looked away for a moment before she met his eyes.

“Uh, yeah. It’s pretty important, actually. I think...I think it’s time for us to reveal our identities to each other.”

He blinked. He hadn’t been expecting that.

“I mean, not that you have to reveal your identity! It’s just, I think it’s time I showed you who I am.”

“Hey, no, of course I want to. I’ve wanted to for years,” Adrien said. “I’ve only waited this long because you wanted to wait. Actually, why did you decide now was the right time?”

She blushed and looked away again.

“Well, you know I’ve been seeing someone.” He nodded, not sure where she was going. “We’ve gotten pretty serious over the past few months. I’m pretty sure he’s going to propose. And I want to say yes.”

“Wow, Ladybug. Wow, uh, congratulations.” 

“But I don’t want to force him into all the complications of marrying a superhero unless he knows what he’s getting into. So I have to tell him.” 

Adrien was having a hard time finding words between the dryness in his mouth and the way he seemed to have swallowed his tongue. He knew he wanted to marry Marinette, but he hadn’t thought through the details. What if she didn’t want the risk that came with marrying a superhero?

“But I promised myself that you’d be the first person I revealed myself to. You deserve that much, after everything we’ve been through together.”

“Oh. Thank you. It means a lot to me, you know.” Conflicting thoughts were ringing through his mind. There was still a little twinge of hurt that she hadn’t thought he was worth revealing her identity when someone else was. Then again, time had changed a lot of things, and he couldn’t regret any hurt that had allowed him the happiness he had with Marinette. He was in love with Marinette, and he wouldn’t let old hurts trouble his friendship with Ladybug.

In fact, he was being kind of hypocritical. He’d been trying to tell Marinette, and he’d never considered that he should ask Ladybug’s permission first.

“Well, here goes, I guess. Tikki, spots off.” Pink light swirled around her and he stood back, watching in awe. The light faded to reveal…

...Marinette?

Ladybug was Marinette. His girlfriend.

“Hello, Chat Noir. I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and this is my kwami, Tikki. We’ve met before.”

Yes we have, Adrien thought. Marinette was Ladybug. His girlfriend was Ladybug. His girlfriend was Ladybug, Ladybug who was expecting her boyfriend to propose to her…

“HiMarinettegreattoseeyoucongratulationsgreattomeetyouTikkisorrygottagoseeyoulaterbye,” he managed to blurt out before rushing off as quickly as he could. Once he was a safe distance away he slipped into an alley and released his transformation.

Pulling out his phone, he started looking up local jewelry stores. He had to get a ring as soon as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is sure her boyfriend is going to propose, but she has to tell him something...

Marinette stared into the mirror. She was going to have to change again. It was the third time already. Luckily, it was only 4:30 and Adrien wasn't supposed to pick her up until 6. She was a bundle of nerves, and nothing she put on seemed right. 

Alya came over at 5 to do her hair, and Tikki, from wherever she was hiding kept whispering words of encouragement.

“I can't do this, Alya,” Marinette groaned. “How am I supposed to sit down and eat dinner when I feel like I'm going to throw up?”

“Girl, you need to calm down. How many times have you gone out for dinner with Adrien?”

“But this is different!”

“I know, you think he's going to propose. But think,” Alya said,”Either he's going to propose tonight or he's not going to. If he doesn't, nothing's changed and there's nothing to worry about. If he does propose, you already know your answer, so there's nothing to worry about.”

“But…”

“Relax. Everything will be fine. Now, you need to get dressed. Unless possibly you're planning to greet Adrien in your underwear?” Alya waggled her eyebrows and Marinette slapped at her.

When 6:00 rolled around and Adrien knocked on her door, she was, thankfully, dressed, and she was dressed well. Tikki had slipped a bit of Ladybug luck into an old favorite dress of hers, and there was no denying that it looked perfect. 

Adrien blushed like a teenage boy when she came downstairs and kissed him. He was oddly quiet the whole drive, which worried her, but every time she looked up from where she was resting her head on his shoulder, he had a huge smile on his face. He'd said he needed to discuss something important with her, and that didn't look like a breakup face to Marinette. 

She could feel her heart beating propose, propose, propose. She wanted him to propose and he was going to propose. 

Of course, if he did propose, everything got more complicated. She would have to reveal her secret and face the consequences. She'd never been that vulnerable before. What if he rejected her once he knew? She would not only be heartbroken, she could be in danger.

She felt glad that she'd told Chat before Adrien proposed. Although he'd obviously been quite surprised, she knew he'd be fine. There was a bond of partnership that she had with Chat that she didn't have with anyone else, not even Adrien. Whatever happened, she would be able to face it because she always had Chat.

He wasn't so bad, once you got past his poor flirting and unfortunate taste for puns.He certainly was handsome. Marinette had actually dated him for a while a few years back, but it hadn't gone far, ironically because of secret identities. If she hadn't been afraid to reveal herself to him before, he could be the one proposing instead of Adrien. She wasn't sure what to think about that.

Oh well. The past was the past, wasn't it? The important thing was that even though they'd both found happiness with other people, they loved each other, however platonically. Breaking up with Chat had hurt a lot, but it had been the right decision. It had been that breakup that led her back to Adrien.   
Adrien had been in a bad place after a breakup of his own when she'd seen him for the first time in years. It was a bizarre thing to bond over, but she couldn't find it in herself to care when it meant the fulfillment of her childhood dreams.

Adrien was going to propose. She was sure of it.

Dinner was a blur. She managed to force herself to eat a few small bites, too nervous to pay any attention to the flavor. She knew it was extravagant, but she couldn't even tell what she was eating.

After dinner, they walked the streets, holding hands in the moonlight. Adrien was talking, but she couldn't focus. He was so beautiful, and he was going to propose, and she'd have to tell him. Tonight, she was going to tell him. 

“...with me?” Adrien asked.

Marinette started and realized she hadn't caught anything that Adrien had said.  
“What did you say?”

He laughed.   
“Oh, nothing so important, Marinette,” he said, his eyes glimmering like Chat's when he made a bad pun. “I was just asking if you wanted marry me, that's all. Of course, if you're not interested…”

Marinette launched herself at him, embracing him and kissing him all over, and he kissed her, smiling like he'd been smiling all evening.

“You tease!” Marinette said between kisses. “Of course I want to marry you!”

He squeezed her tighter, and she felt like she was dying of happiness.   
“I love you, Marinette. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. There's no one else for me.”

“I love you Adrien, I love you so much,” she murmured into the wool of his suit.”

“Be mine?” he asked.

Suddenly, Marinette stopped. This was it. She had to tell him.

“I'm yours,” she said, ”But there's something I need to tell you.”

“All right,” Adrien laughed.

“This is serious. You have to believe me.”

“I'll believe you. Tell me anything and I'll believe you.”  
Marinette took a deep breath.  
“I'm Ladybug.”  
Adrien kissed the top of her head.  
“That's right,” he said, “You're my Ladybug and I'm your Chat Noir.”

“No, Adrien, I mean it. I'm actually Ladybug. Tikki, spots on.”

Transformed, she clung to him, not wanting to meet his eye, and he didn't say anything. Why wasn't he reacting?

“Does this change anything?” she finally asked. “Do...do you still want to marry me?”

“Of course I want to marry you,” he said, and Marinette could breathe again. “Would I have bought you this ring if I didn't want to marry you?”

He slipped the ring onto her spot-covered finger, and she held her hand up under a streetlight to see.

The ring was silvery-white, with five exquisite emeralds set in a design that looked oddly familiar. It was lovely, but it didn't look like a normal engagement ring. It looked like… 

She lifted her head with a quizzical expression. His eyes were brighter than ever.  
“Gotcha, my lady,” he said, kissing her before she could react. “No take backs!” he shouted as he dodged her fist. Strong blows had become something of a knee-jerk reaction for Marinette, and he'd be preparing for this moment all night.

He ran, barely pausing to transform, and she chased him all through Paris, over rooftops and up to the Eiffel Tower. Of course she caught him, and then they had each other, and they couldn't tell if they were trying to embrace or push each other over. Then they were laughing, breathless and overjoyed, and then they were crying, and then they were kissing and laughing and crying all at once.

Eventually, they had to come down. There were explanations and apologies to be made, and old hurts to be healed, but Marinette was ecstatically happy. They detranformed and he took her home, and she dragged him in to show off to Alya and her parents.

Tom and Sabine were overjoyed and wanted to know all the details.  
“Have you set a date?” her father wanted to know.

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a sheepish glance. They'd been a bit distracted. 

“We haven't picked a specific day, but I want it to be as soon as possible,” Adrien said. “What do you think, love? Three or four months? Is that enough time?”

Marinette thought about the dress she'd started a week after she and Adrien started dating, and the bridesmaids’ dresses that were already finished. Rose and Juleka had her order on standby in their flower shop. And the cake was obviously no problem for her parents to handle. She'd been preparing for this wedding since she was fourteen. 

Resisting the urge to say, “How about we get married right now?”, she nodded. But then she kissed him again, because three months was such a long time and she couldn't wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
